When you think about thanksgiving, what comes to mind? - pilgrims andnative Americans, turkey, cranberries, yams, green bean casserole (if youhappen to be from the mid-west), pumpkin pie, five extra pounds, football,Macy's parade, crowded airports, clogged highways, men snoring oncouches and recliners in the living room, and gatherings with family andfriends.

What is missing here? Giving thanks. After all, this national holiday wascalled Thanksgiving for a reason. It's a day set aside to give thanks to God- an essential element that seems to get lost in all the commerciality, just asthe birth of Jesus has taken second place to Santa Claus in many people'shomes.

Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday. It began in 1621 with thePilgrims, after suffering a terrible winter during which 55 of the 101 peoplewho arrived the year before had died. Every family was touched bysickness and death. The 46 who survived planted their crops that springand prayed. When their prayers were answered and the harvest wasabundant, Governor Bradford, in thanksgiving to God declared a three dayholiday. Their Native American friends were invited (they provided much ofthe food by some accounts), and the first Thanksgiving was celebrated.

But the tradition didn't catch on right away - not for 168 years, to be precise- not until George Washington revived the day with a PresidentialProclamation in 1789. Here's what he said: “It is the duty of all nations toacknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to begrateful to God for his benefits and to implore his protection and favor. Maywe unite in Thanksgiving this year for God's care and protection, for theconclusion of the Revolutionary War, for tranquility and peace, for civil andreligious liberty, and for all God's great and various favors.”

In 1863, in the midst of the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimeda national Thanksgiving Day to be held on the fourth Thursday of eachNovember.

We have been celebrating Thanksgiving ever since, through times of warand times of peace, through times of hardship and times of abundance.

All of the major world religions have celebrations and rituals around the actof giving thanks. In the Jewish faith it started some 4500 years ago, inabout 2500 BCE. The Israelites had a festival of ingathering, similar to ourfestival of Thanksgiving. Leviticus tells us, “when you gather in the fruit ofthe land in the fall, you shall have a feast unto the Lord and you shouldrejoice and be happy for seven days.” Not a bad idea.

Moses, in Deuteronomy writes; “After you gather in from the threshing floorand the wine press, you should rejoice in the Lord and the Lord will blessyou for your increase, and your daily work, and you shall be altogetherhappy.”

The ancient Israelites understood that abundance was a sign of God'sabundant goodness. When they looked at creation they saw glimpses ofthe Creator. And they saw that it was good.

I counted 139 references to giving thanks in the Bible. That alone speaks ofit's importance. Psalm 100 is probably one of the most famous psalms ofpraise or thanksgiving. These were hymns used in liturgy. The originalcontext for the hymn was the congregation's entrance into the temple forthe festival of the covenant - making a joyful noise. There's a song we usedto sing in my last church: “I will enter God's gates with thanksgiving in myheart. I will enter God's courts with praise. I will say this is the day the Lordhas made. I will rejoice for God has made me glad.”

We are instructed to praise God for four reasons: because God made us,because God loves us, because we belong to God, and because God is allaround us.

So we've come here today to give thanks. When reading the proclamationby our first president after our nation had won their freedom, or thinkingabout the pilgrims who survived that first harsh winter, I couldn't help butthink “those people had good reason to give thanks.” They had comethrough incredibly difficult times and they had survived.

The same might be said of the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan or the tornadosin the midwest. Some of them might not have a permanent roof over theirhead, but more important, they survived.

Be it a typhoon, a tornado, the loss of a job, or health issues, these are noteasy times for many of us in this country, let alone our world. But it is intimes such as these that it is most essential to give thanks. It's good for ourhealth, our well being. It is so easy to get sucked into fear, negativity,cynicism, frustration, despair and anger, directing it not only to our fellowhuman beings, but to God. The lens through which we view the worlddetermines what we see, our emotional state, how we live, the decisionswe make.

I have a little book of wisdom sitting by my bed, written by Henri Nouwen,one of my favorite spiritual writers. Listen to his insight:

“People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness,but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in thedarkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit oflight can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of lighthere and there, and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but realpresence of God. They discover that there are people who heal eachother's wounds, forgive each other's offenses, share their possessions,foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received, andlive in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God's glory.

Every moment of each day I have the chance to choose between cynicismand joy. Every thought I have can be cynical or joyful. Every word I speakcan be cynical or joyful. Every action can be cynical or joyful. Increasingly Idiscover that every choice for joy in turn reveals more joy and offers morereason to make life a true celebration in the house of (God).”

What excellent advice. Psalm 100 invites us to choose joy, like HenriNouwen suggests - get our souls in tune with God and join in thecelebration.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things in life: a loving family, caringfriends, a windfall in the stock market, that car you've always wanted, abeautiful walk in nature. Doesn't take much effort to thank God for ourabundance, and there is plenty of abundance in this country.

What's not so easy is to give thanks for the setbacks, for the difficult times.Years ago I met a woman who had been through one physical ailment afteranother: reoccurring bouts with cancer, injuries from a car accident - andthrough it all she had this incredible joy and attitude about life. She told meone day that she always blessed her medicines, even her chemotherapy.She knew it would make her weak and sick, but she thanked God for thatmedicine, because she realized it was a gift that could make her well andextend her life. She walked through the darkness, but ultimately she chosejoy and it changed her life.

I found a rather unconventional list of things to be thankful for, compiled bya Rev. Joel Lohn. It gave me food for thought.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you want. If you did, what would there be to look forward to.

Be thankful when you don't know something. This gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During these times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's not an easy task, to give thanks for our troubles, but in doing so, theycan sometimes become our blessings. Giving thanks helps us to becomemore aware of those blessings.

In an article by John Buchanan, the editor of The Christian Century, hetalks about his resistance as a young boy to saying thank you. His mother,after weeks of prodding, had to nearly drag him to the telephone to call andthank his grandmother for a birthday card stuffed with cash. He says, “Intime, the feeling of gratitude caught up with the practice of it - in fact, I'vealways thought that perhaps it's the habit of gratitude that generates thefeeling.”

It feels real good to be thanked, especially when someone takes the time tocall or write a note expressing their gratitude. I set thank you cards andnotes I've received where I can see them as a reminder- you did somethingright, Susan.So this morning I'm giving you an opportunity to generate that feeling ofgratitude this week. In each of your bulletins is a thank you note. It's blankinside for you to write to someone in your life who you'd like to thank - forsomething - anything. Then send it, or hand it to them, or put it under theirpillow. Please don't put it in our recycling bins. If you don't want to writeone, leave it for me to use later. Ava took time making these for us.You might address it during the offertory and begin to write - moremotivation to follow through. Let's get our souls in tune with God and makethis a week of thanksgiving.5

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Eliot Church of Newton, UCC

The Eliot Church of Newton is an Open and Affirming congregation in the United Church of Christ (UCC). We affirm that all people are children of God. We honor and welcome everyone, and we are committed to being a uniting church that embraces the rich diversity of God's creation.